Like most car guys and racers, Otto Schulz’s background in racing began at a young age. When he was just five years old, his older brother introduced him to the world of racing by having him straddle the shifter in his car and shift gears for him. They would frequent local hangouts where drag races took place, and even attended events at the nearby Oswego Raceway, where Otto had the opportunity to see legendary figures like “Big Daddy” Don Garlits compete in their heyday.

Photos by Jesse Williams

“My brother was 15 years older than I was, so when I was 5, he was 20. So he had street cars and would hang out in the local parking lot looking for drag races, and he would take me with him,” said the man who is the third generation of Otto’s in the family lineage.

Otto’s passion for racing grew, and when he turned 14, his father purchased a 1957 Chevy for him. Otto invested all of his earnings from mowing lawns, painting fences, and performing various odd jobs into fixing up the car. By the time he turned 16, he had a well-built hot rod as his first car.

From what he estimates was his entry to adulthood at 18 years of age until entering his 40’s, Otto left the sport behind to purse other things in life. “I really wasn’t involved in drag racing at all. But when Joliet out here got the dragstrip [Route 66 Raceway], then we started frequenting the NHRA events, and another couple we went to high school with would travel with us to that and other NHRA events. We’d go to Bristol and others just as spectators,” he says.

During one trip to St. Louis for the drag races, their friend took part in a drag racing school experience, and Otto, captivated by the idea, immediately expressed his interest in joining in for the adventure. When he shared this plan with his longtime friend Tim Oros, also known as Mr. Wonderful, Tim chuckled and predicted Otto would be hooked, likening it to a heroin addiction.

Tim was right.

Otto, a native of northern Illinois, embarked on his own racing journey in January of 2016 by purchasing a 1957 Chevy from a seller in Michigan through a Craigslist ad. His original intent was to build it into a street/strip machine. However, after going back and forth on his vision for the car — as is so often the case — that plan changed dramatically.

“I started acquiring parts and working on the car myself to head down that road of build a street car. But after changing my mind numerous times, I decided to build it once, go all-in, and be done with it!”

While the car was being built, he acquired a 1994 Camaro turbo car to gain valuable racing experience and seat-time. With the assistance of skilled professionals such as Jimmy Lopez from JLO Race Motors, Nick Tucci from Tucci Speed Shop, Errol McCullum from TPS Fabrication, and Joe Oplawski from HyperActive Performance Solutions, Otto worked on improving and optimizing the Camaro to prepare for the challenges that lay ahead with the ’57. Accompanied by Oros and his 1969 Camaro, Otto traveled from the Chicago area to various states such as Florida, Georgia, and Alabama to participate in races and gain valuable racing experience.

“While racing the Camaro, I met David Reese of Reese Brothers Race Cars and we decided to build the ’57 to run in the Pro 275 class.” He enlisted the expertise of Reese to build the car, and even purchased the engine package and transmission from Reese’s 1968 Camaro known as El Diablo.

Once Reese had the chassis complete, the car was transported to Oros’s shop, Mr. Wonderful Motorsports, located in Aurora, Illinois. Over the course of the next eight months, the car underwent a stunning transformation, involving countless hours of bodywork by Tim’s employee, Mario Guadarrama. Otto himself invested over 400 hours in the bodywork, as well. To add the finishing touch, Oros applied a remarkable custom paint job, utilizing a unique mix to achieve a Candy Apple Red hue, making the car truly stand out.

After the initial work in Aurora, the car was sent back to Georgia, where Reese completed the final touches. In total, it took five years from the initial purchase to the first test of the completed car.

With the 1957 Chevy build complete, Otto debuted the car at No Mercy 13 in South Georgia last fall, and has since set his sights on getting comfortable in the car and seeking round wins and victories. He has competed primarily in the FuelTech Radial Outlaws series, at tracks like Bradenton Motorsports Park, Orlando Speedworld, South Georgia Motorsports Park, and Alabama International Dragway.

The 1957 Chevy 210 Sedan boasts a steel roof and quarters, while the rest of the car features carbon-fiber construction — including the front and rear bumpers, which resemble chromed OE metal bumpers. Under the hood, the car is powered by a Brad Anderson-8 Hemi, built by Reese Brothers Race Cars. With a displacement of 521 cubic inches and boost provided by a Mike Janis roots-style supercharger, the combination produces the 3,000-plus-horsepower needed to run a best to date of 3.94 at 191 mph.

The car’s drivetrain incorporates a three-speed transmission with a lock-up converter. For suspension, the 1957 Chevy utilizes Menscer Motorsports struts in the front, and Menscer shocks in the rear, contributing to a well-balanced and controlled ride. The wheels were supplied by Weld Racing, and the rear tires are 275/60/15 Mickey Thompsons.

“We’ve got room to improve. David has been taking it easy on the tune-up, because I’m just getting used to this car. My Camaro went a best of 5.03, so we just skipped right over the fours basically. We just want to be sure I can handle it. There’s no sense in putting a killer tune in this thing and beating up your engine, when you’re really not ready for it,” Otto explains. “It’s got room to go quicker and faster.”

Inside the car, the focus is all on functionality, with standard-fare aluminum and composite materials, and the instrument panel featuring a Racepak dash providing essential data and vitals for Otto during his 3-second rips.

The car and its performance level of course represent a significant milestone for Otto, who had spent much of his previous life uninvolved in the sport. With a passion for racing that was only recently reignited, Otto has dedicated countless hours and financial resources into building a formidable Pro 275 warrior that he can proudly claim his own. The culmination of years of hard work and collaboration with skilled professionals has resulted in both a visually striking and high-performing machine. As Otto continues to compete in races and series, he aspires to not just go fast — his next goal is to break into the 3.80s — but to win races and achieve greater competitive success.

“I’m going to do this as long as I can,” said the 59-year-old Schulz. “Tim told me once you’re addicted, it’s never fast enough, and you keep spending more money changing things and buying different engine packages. I’m hooked, and I’m going to race as long as I physically can do so. I’m not killer on the tree, but if my reaction time is 9 seconds, then that’s probably time to stop driving. But I’m hooked.”